ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

Answer.

be represented in the reply. It was then unanimously voted to defend the fort to the death. The following reply was therefore prepared and despatched to General Arista, within the hour that had been allowed for a reply.

"SIR-Your humane communication has just been received, and, after the consideration due to its importance, I must respectfully decline to surrender my forces to you.

The exact purport of your despatch I cannot feel confident that I understand, as my interpreter is not skilled in your language; but if I have understood you correctly, you have my reply above," &c., &c.

The reception of this answer was the signal of a general burst of heavy shot upon the fort; but the Americans saved their ammunition and doubled their sentinels during the night, in expectation of an attack. During the 7th, much activity was manifested, a heavy cannonade being maintained all day, and various parties firing with muskets into the fort from every position. The garrison, however, were directed not to return the fire unless they advanced within eighty yards, and they therefore preserved silence. In the evening, the gallant Major Mansfield advanced with a small party into the plain, and leveled the traverse formerly occupied by the Americans, and which now served to shelter the enemy while firing on the fort. A large quantity of chaparral, used in a similar manner, was also cut down. At midnight the garrison were roused by a terrible discharge of musketry, and the sound of bugles, but the anticipated assault did not follow. On the 8th, the cannonade was recommenced at daybreak, and continued till the afternoon. The bombardment had hardly ceased when a severe cannon

Death of Major Brown.

ading was heard in the direction of Point Isabel, so sudden and so rapidly that it seemed to be one continuous volley of field-pieces. The soldiers in the fort answered it by hearty cheering; the men of Matamoras, by a renewal of the firing from four mortar batteries at once. Yet the gallant defenders knew that General Taylor was on his way to succour them, and they stood upon the parapet to listen to the far distant firing, while the terrific rain from the enemy's batteries poured unheeded around them. Towards night, they learned from a Mexican the events of the field of Palo Alto, and the knowledge that the victory rested with their friends made the quiet night, their nearer enemies permitted them to enjoy, the more refreshing. On the morning of the 9th, an officer of the 7th regiment went outside of the fort to the flagstaff, for the purpose of arranging the halyards, which bad become unrigged on the previous day. He succeeded in lowering the topmast of the staff and rigging the halyards, the enemy playing upon him with round shot and shell from all their batteries. He was not strong enough to raise the flagstaff to its proper place, he therefore coolly lashed it in its position, and gave the flag to the breeze.

On this day Major Brown expired. At the time of his death every thing in the fort was perfectly still, and the silence was unbroken until the report of Ridgely's batteries on the field of the Resaca de la Palma were heard. "No language," says Mr. Thorpe, "can describe the intense interest with which the raging battle was listened to: each man was at his post, and every booming gun called forth an almost agonizing interest to learn its nationality and effects. Meanwhile the bom

Flight of the enemy seen from the Fort.

bardment opened simultaneously with the firing on the field, and continued to increase with unprecedented severity; but it was not to the batteries of the Mexicans that attention was directed. Our eighteen-pounders were occasionally fired, to let General Taylor know that all was still well in the fort. The firing on the battlefield was now growing less and less powerful, and the discharges were becoming irregular. "They have charged on the guns!' shouted one of the officers! Another and another was silenced. They have carried them!' shouted another, in uncontrollable ecstacy; all cannonading ceased; volleys of musketry were next heard, then all was still. How eloquently the silence spoke of the hand-to-hand conflict, and how the blood in the hearts of these brave men went and came from excitement to be engaged in it! The victorious result of our arms was now almost certain. General Taylor and his brave men would either conquer or die. No bells were now ringing in Matamoras, and the noisy music that was wont to belabour the air had been silenced since the evening of the 8th. This, to the heroes of the fort, was full of meaning, and the tale was soon told. At a little before six a confused rush of cavalry and straggling infantry towards the Rio Grande, announced the victory of the Americans, at sight of which, an officer of the 7th regiment jumped upon the parapet, beside the regimental flagstaff, and gave three cheers, which were responded to so loudly and heartily by all in the fort, that they silenced the enemy's batteries, for from that moment they ceased firing. The news had reached Matamoras, that to Mexico the day was lost." Besides Major Brown, one non-commissioned officer killed, and ten

March from Point Isabel.

men wounded was the amount of loss that the garrison sustained during one hundred and sixty hours severe bombardment.

General Taylor had left Point Isabel on the evening of the 7th of May, and moved with the main body of the army towards the Rio Grande. After marching seven miles, they bivouacked on their arms, and resumed the march on the following morning. At noon they discovered the enemy, prepared to oppose their progress, stretched out on the flat prairie more than a mile.

We give here the clear and concise account of this battle, given by General Taylor in his official despatches, reserving for another portion of the work more minute. details and personal anecdotes.

“About noon, when our advance of cavalry had reached the water hole of Palo Alto,' the Mexican troops were reported in our front, and were soon discovered occupying the road in force. I ordered a halt upon reaching the water, with the view to rest and refresh the men, and to form deliberately our line of battle. The Mexican line was now plainly visible across the prairie, and about three-quarters of a mile distant. Their left, which was composed of a heavy force of cavalry, occupied the road, resting upon a thicket of chaparral, while masses of infantry were discovered in succession on the right, greatly outnumbering our own force.

Our line of battle was now formed in the following order, commencing on the extreme right:—5th infantry, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel McIntosh; Major Ringgold's artillery; 3d infantry, commanded by Captain L. N. Morris; two eighteen-pounders, commanded

Battle of Palo Alto.

by Lieutenant Churchill, 3d artillery; 4th infantry, commanded by Major G. W. Allen; the 3d and 4th regiments composed the third brigade, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel. Garland; and all the above corps, together with two squadrons of dragoons under Captains Ker and May, composed the right wing under the orders of Colonel Twiggs. The left was formed by the battalion of artillery commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Childs. Captain Duncan's light artillery, and the 8th infantry, under Captain Montgomery-all forming the first brigade, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Belknap. The train was packed near the water, under direction of Captains Crossman and Myers, and protected by Captain Ker's squadron.

At two oclock we took up the march by heads of columns, in the direction of the enemy-the eighteenpounder battery following the road. While the columns were advancing, Lieutenant Blake, topographical engineer, volunteered a reconnoisance of the enemy's line, which was handsomely performed, and resulted in the discovery of at least two batteries of artillery in the intervals of their cavalry and infantry. These batteries were soon opened upon us, when I ordered the columns halted and deployed into line, and the fire to be returned by all our artillery. The 8th infantry on our extreme left, was thrown back to secure that flank. The first fires of the enemy did little execution, while our eighteenpounders and Major Ringgold's artillery soon dispersed the cavalry which formed his left.-Captain Duncan's battery, thrown forward in advance of the line, was doing good execution at this time. Captain May's squadron was now detached to support that battery, and

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »